Iza’s winning film to be shown sans cuts

Iza Calzado describes her latest movie Bliss to be unlike any other project she has done before as it required her act out delicate scenes, which effectively challenged her as a performer.

True enough, the film directed by Jerrold Tarog of the Heneral Luna fame won her an acting award at the Osaka International Film Festival.

“I guess that says a lot about the film. They were able to appreciate it and I am very grateful for that. But it also makes a difference kung mga kababayan mo ang natutuwa sa trabaho mo,” she mused.

Iza said she she fell in love with the script of Bliss on first reading, but took a second go over to fully understand the movie’s parameters. Especially so since the movie is very cerebral and even involves nudity

“I told myself, ‘Oh my God!’ because there were several daring scenes, which I thought I couldn’t do. I had to discuss them back and forth with my director but we did meet halfway with regards to them,” the actress revealed.

Was she surprised that the film initially got an X-rating?

“We were thinking it might, but we also hoped not because the movie is not really violent. We believe that MTRCB members are as open minded as we are, so it was an R-rating we were hoping for because we felt it’s about time that we acknowledge the Filipino audience has matured. Times have changed. Everything has become accessible in this digital age,” she said.

Bliss comes to the cinemas uncut on May 10. It also features Ian Veneracion, TJ Trinidad, Adrienne Vergara, Audie Gemora and Sharmaine Buencamino.

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Meanwhile, 1st Sem is the debut movie actor Darwin Yu which was first screened at the 2nd CineFilipino Film Festival in 2016. It is also the initial offering of newbie directors Dexter Hemedez and Allan Michael Ibañez who also wrote the script.

Darwin passed the audition and was cast as Maru, the firstborn son of Lotlot De Leon. He said he became teary-eyed when he learned from Direk Allan that he got the role. He just finished an acting workshop at ABS-CBN when he got wind of the auditions for 1st Sem and decided to try his luck.

He said he was nervous when he learned that he would be working with Lotlot but was excited at the same time. He saw her in the Chito Roño film Feng Shui and was impressed with her acting prowess.

A BS Tourism student at the Trinity University of Asia, Darwin counts John Lloyd Cruz, Albert Martinez and Coco Martin as his idols.

Rated A by the Cinema Evaluation Board, 1st Sem will have a celebrity screening tonight at the SM North EDSA, and will opens in cinemas nationwide on April 26.